An abandoned car - what to do?

I recently purchased a property which is vacant. The sellers are out of
town, retired in old age and living in nursing home. I have been dealing
with their daughter who had power of attorney. Now that the closing is
over, I found a van parked in the swale area, apparently belong to her
parents, still with a 2004 license tag on the van and it has an expired
license citation on the windshield. Who knows how long it has been sitting
there...
Several emails to their daughter - no reply, not sure they care what happens
to it and probably did not even want to be bothered.
How should I handle this van? I have no key, no title...tow to junk yard?
MC

It's your vehicle now, so far as I know everything on the property belongs
to the buyer after the deal is closed. I even think that means licenced
vehicles.
If you don't want the thing, put it in neutral and push it into the street
then call the cops like a lot of posters have suggested. The police will
ensure it gets back to the rightful owners - even if they resort to
auctioning it.

Cars need a title to be registered, sold, and often junked unless it is over
a certain age. That may vary by state. Even if he does "own" it, he can't
do much with it aside from making it into a planter.

So that how that is dealt with, I wasn't sure about that aspect, because
you're right they do have a title and registration. If you read the text on
your deed it's pretty explicit in stating anything on the property is yours
after signing, but like you pointed out you can't do anything with it until
the title of the vehicle is transferred.

And I say you are very wrong. Suppose I had left a car in storage
with someone. They turn around and sell the place without telling me.
You're claiming the new owners now own my car?
Every state has laws concerning abandoned property. If you don't
follow them, you're likely to wind up in big trouble.

MC
Real estate is defined as the land and everything that is attached to it.
The vehicle is clearly not attached. It is personal property and not real
property.
What you think has no bearing on the facts.

Jesus Christ man, why don't you be a little more harsh next time.
I guess you can't be bothered to read the rest of the posts attached to this
very thread, you know the one where someone politely corrected me and I
agreed they were correct.

I guess you wanted some legal advice, so here goes.
The car is not legally yours unless you have a valid bill of sale and/or
title.
The police can not tow a vehicle off of property property.
You, as the property owner, can legally call a wrecker and have them tow
it off. They will charge the owner storage fees and towing. If the
owner does not claim the vehicle within 30 days, the towing company must
publish the vehicle as being abandoned to give the owner a chance to
claim it. If they don't claim it, then the wrecker company will get it
by default and they can obtain a title through the State.
Don't push the vehicle out on the roadway for it to be considered
abandoned on the street. If anything happened to it and someone saw you
do this, you can be held liable for damages in small claims court.
Hope this helps.
J
miamicuse wrote:

Don't mess up typical Usenet wild-assed speculation with facts.
You'll ruin the integrity of the process. :)
============
Joey wrote:
I guess you wanted some legal advice, so here goes.
The car is not legally yours unless you have a valid bill of sale and/or
title.
The police can not tow a vehicle off of property property.
You, as the property owner, can legally call a wrecker and have them tow
it off. They will charge the owner storage fees and towing. If the
owner does not claim the vehicle within 30 days, the towing company must
publish the vehicle as being abandoned to give the owner a chance to
claim it. If they don't claim it, then the wrecker company will get it
by default and they can obtain a title through the State.
Don't push the vehicle out on the roadway for it to be considered
abandoned on the street. If anything happened to it and someone saw you
do this, you can be held liable for damages in small claims court.
Hope this helps.
J
miamicuse wrote:

miami,
You can try to get the daughter or her parents to remove the van but it
may be your van. Was it on the property at closing? Send them a certified
letter giving them 30 days then call the junkman.
Dave M.

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